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Cochlea Structure and Function

This video demonstrates a dramatic illustration of how hearing happens in the ear. Both music and the structure of the inner ear are integrated in this fascinating illustration of how we hear sound. Sounds from the outside world pass as vibrations through tiny bones in our ear to the cochlea. Within the coiled tube of the cochlea, different regions of the basilar membrane sense different sound frequencies at specific. This animation demonstrates how high-frequency sounds penetrate only a short distance along the basilar membrane. Vibrations from low tones are sensed at the farthest end of the basilar membrane.